Defendants in Georgia ‘Cop City’ case say they are in limbo as trial delays continue

By R J RICO ATLANTA AP Single mother Priscilla Grim lost her job Aspiring writer Julia Dupuis frequently stares at the bedroom ceiling numb Geography and environmental studies researcher Hannah Kass is worried about her career prospects after she graduates from her Ph D operation The three are among defendants accused by Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr of participating in a yearslong racketeering conspiracy to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training facility just outside Atlanta that critics pejoratively call Cop City Their cases are at a standstill months after being indicted under Georgia s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law or RICO which is likely the largest criminal racketeering event ever filed against protesters in U S history experts say Trial for five of the defendants was supposed to start last year but got bogged down in procedural issues The judge overseeing the development then moved to another court A new judge has set a status hearing for Wednesday The delays have left people in limbo facing charges carrying up to years behind bars for what they maintain was legitimate protest not domestic terrorism The occurrence also has suppressed a movement that brought together hundreds of activists to protect a wooded patch of land that ultimately was razed for the not long ago completed million -acre -hectare project Personnel say the project is sorely needed to replace outdated facilities and boost officers morale Opponents say it will be a training ground for a militarized police force and its construction has worsened environmental damage in a poor majority-Black area Protests escalated after the fatal shooting of Manuel Esteban Paez Ter n known as Tortuguita who was camping near the site when agents launched a clearing operation Agents explained they killed Tortuguita after the activist shot and wounded a trooper from inside a tent A family-commissioned autopsy concluded Tortuguita was killed with their hands in the air but a prosecutor ascertained the officers use of force was objectively reasonable FILE Protesters march during a demonstration in opposition to a new police training center on Nov in Atlanta AP Photo Mike Stewart File FILE Noah Gringi holds a sign at a press conference for Manuel Esteban Paez Ter n in Decatur Ga Feb Arvin Temkar Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP File Julia Dupuis one of activists indicted on racketeering charges in connection with Atlanta s Stop Cop City movement poses for a portrait in Worcester Mass on April AP Photo Rodrique Ngowi Priscilla Grim is seen on April at her apartment in New York AP Photo Julia Demaree Nikhinson Priscilla Grim applies electrotherapy pads to her knees on April at her apartment in New York AP Photo Julia Demaree Nikhinson Hannah Kass one of people indicted on racketeering charges in connection with Atlanta s Stop Cop City movement stands in front of Lake Mendota in Madison Wis on May AP Photo Scott Bauer Show Caption of FILE Protesters march during a demonstration in opposition to a new police training center on Nov in Atlanta AP Photo Mike Stewart File Expand The challenges of a -person indictment Chris Timmons a former Georgia prosecutor who has handled numerous RICO cases explained it s understandable such a large occurrence would take a long time to be scheduled But Timmons disclosed he is surprised prosecutors don t seem to be aggressively pushing for a trial date Cases age like milk not like wine Timmons stated The longer we go memories fade spectators become unavailable If I were in the prosecutors shoes I d want this scenario tried as soon as doable The attorney general s office did not respond to requests for comment Michael Mears a professor at Atlanta s John Marshall Law School who studies RICO cases commented prosecutors boxed themselves in by charging so multiple people at one time instead of going after the leadership Prosecutors decision last year to drop money laundering charges against three of the movement s alleged leaders was a sign of the event s weakness And with the movement having faded from the constituents consciousness there is less political appetite for cracking down on the protesters he announced Prosecutors can t just walk away from it but I think you ll ostensibly see it die a slow death Mears mentioned predicting charges would slowly be dismissed That is cold comfort for those who say their lives are on hold Julia Dupuis I think the greater part of our lives are just thoroughly frozen in one way or another noted Dupuis who lives in Massachusetts Dupuis was charged with felony intimidation of an officer in for distributing anti-police flyers near the home of one of the troopers who killed Tortuguita Dupuis friend The trooper called government after learning the flyers which called him a murderer were placed on his neighbors mailboxes Now banned from Georgia Dupuis struggles to find the motivation to complete freelance copywriting projects that pay for their rent There s a lot I want to do a lot of hopes and dreams that I feel like are just kind of stuck declared Dupuis who dreams of joining New York City s creative writing scene But majority of all Dupuis misses the activist public that once thrived in the South River Forest The charges have ripped me away from my neighborhood and the people that I love so much That s what I ve been longing for every single day to be back with my people Dupuis reported Priscilla Grim Grim is tired of waiting and in the past few days filed for a speedy trial It s unclear whether her motion will be granted since the speedy trial deadline passed long ago Let s get this over with Grim mentioned If you think you have something on me let s do it which you don t Grim who lives in New York City is one of plenty of Stop Cop City defendants who post on social media for financial backing to help pay for food and rent Soundness insurance is out of the question despite chronic pain in her knee from a prior accident Besides the couple hundred dollars she gets each month from donors she doesn t know Grim cobbles together funds through freelance work for activist-oriented causes and is focused on helping her daughter get through college I ve never had such a hard time finding employment commented Grim who previously held marketing jobs I do really well until the final interview and then everybody goes ghost on me I think it s because that s when they look my name up Prosecutors say Grim was among a throng of black-clad activists in March who left a music festival walked through the woods and overtook the construction site torching equipment and throwing rocks at retreating officers before returning to blend in with festivalgoers Grim mentioned she was in her tent having woken up from a nap when officers arrived at the festival and began making arrests Grim noted she began to run before falling due to her knee injury I heard men screaming at me Grim reported describing what prompted her to run That s scary as a woman They didn t say they were police or anything Government however stated Grim ran upon spotting the officers and tried to hide After her arrest Grim lost an email marketing contract with Fordham University which had been about to give her a full-time position People know me and when they hear I m a domestic terrorist they re like What No What Grim revealed I m not just talking about activist friends saying this these are friends from parent circles Hannah Kass On May a group of protesters gathered in suburban Atlanta outside the offices of Brasfield Gorrie the training center s primary contractor Specific set off fireworks as others broke windows and spray-painted Trees not cops causing an estimated in damage bureaucrats announced Kass attended the protest but commented she never vandalized anything and was engaging in a research method called participant observation which involves immersing oneself in the region being studied I was there as both a scholar and an activist announced Kass a Ph D candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies land struggles and teaches environmental social sciences to undergraduates Leadership arrested her on charges of felony criminal property damage and felony terroristic threats saying surveillance video shows she helped set off Roman candles Kass underwent a university disciplinary hearing but stated the school has supported her She worries prospective employers might not be as understanding Like multiple of her codefendants Kass rejected prosecutors plea deal at her RICO arraignment that would have included serving three years in prison I have absolutely nothing to plead guilty for she stated I should have every right to protest and believe what I want to believe and associate with whatever political tendencies I wish to associate with